Our fairgrounds were flooded last winter and it took a FEMA project to get them back up on their feet. They fair managers were pressing adults very hard this year to enter every animal we had, since it helps increase attendance and the Fair gets paid primarily based on the number of exhibitors. So, having never done any of this in my life, my wife and I entered 3 lambs, 2 goats, 5 geese, 3 ducks and 9 chickens! It's always humbling to have 12 year olds tell you how to groom and clean your animals so they look best. On the other hands, it's very easy to bribe 12 year olds to get them to show your lambs for you!
The poultry judge absolutely savaged my Speckled Sussex, Barred Rock and Dark Cornish trios. But, he took the time to point out every single flaw in the birds we had, plus all the good points, and told us exactly what color, size and type of rooster to look for to imporve our breeds. In the end, one of my Speckled Sussex pullets was the champion chicken and one of the cornish reserve champion. The Sussex roo would have won best of show, however the rabbit hutch they put them in was too small and just trashed his tail feathers and cut his comb in several places. And just one note, never enter a Barred Rock. All Barred Rocks available in the US are actually "Cuckoo" and not "Barred", so don't bother.
The big story is the waterfowl portion. I entered an Embdem goose trio (born 4/4/07), an Embden goose pair (born 5/14/07) and a trio of Silver Appleyards (also born 5/14/07). The male in my Embdem goose trio actually won Best of Show and was the overall poultry champion!! One of the female ducks was reserve champion! He really said we were breeding quality waterfowl and gave me some contact people for getting new blood and improving our breeding. The Embden goose pair were starting to molt, so only got a red ribbon. But he said in one month, they easily would be larger and would have been champions.
So my point is, even middle aged adults can try something new. Clean your birds (really scrub them) and put yourself out there. You may even win something! Plus the time the judge spends with you is invaluable. It will certainly help you in choosing which of your flock to breed, versus those headed for the freezer. And eventually, you may even become one of those savage exhibitors with 20 year blood feud, passive agressive rivalries with other breeders! I believe a novel could be written based entirely on what you learn about people at the Fair.
The poultry judge absolutely savaged my Speckled Sussex, Barred Rock and Dark Cornish trios. But, he took the time to point out every single flaw in the birds we had, plus all the good points, and told us exactly what color, size and type of rooster to look for to imporve our breeds. In the end, one of my Speckled Sussex pullets was the champion chicken and one of the cornish reserve champion. The Sussex roo would have won best of show, however the rabbit hutch they put them in was too small and just trashed his tail feathers and cut his comb in several places. And just one note, never enter a Barred Rock. All Barred Rocks available in the US are actually "Cuckoo" and not "Barred", so don't bother.
The big story is the waterfowl portion. I entered an Embdem goose trio (born 4/4/07), an Embden goose pair (born 5/14/07) and a trio of Silver Appleyards (also born 5/14/07). The male in my Embdem goose trio actually won Best of Show and was the overall poultry champion!! One of the female ducks was reserve champion! He really said we were breeding quality waterfowl and gave me some contact people for getting new blood and improving our breeding. The Embden goose pair were starting to molt, so only got a red ribbon. But he said in one month, they easily would be larger and would have been champions.
So my point is, even middle aged adults can try something new. Clean your birds (really scrub them) and put yourself out there. You may even win something! Plus the time the judge spends with you is invaluable. It will certainly help you in choosing which of your flock to breed, versus those headed for the freezer. And eventually, you may even become one of those savage exhibitors with 20 year blood feud, passive agressive rivalries with other breeders! I believe a novel could be written based entirely on what you learn about people at the Fair.
